Travel headaches across the country may soon ease, as President Donald Trump steps in with an emergency plan aimed at getting unpaid airport security workers back on track.
According to the New York Post, on Thursday, Trump announced he will sign an order to ensure Transportation Security Administration agents receive pay, a move he says is necessary to reduce mounting delays at major airports.
In a lengthy Truth Social post, Trump sharply criticized Democrats over the ongoing funding standoff involving the Department of Homeland Security, blaming them for the current disruption.
“Because the Democrats have recklessly created a true National Crisis, I am using my authorities under the Law to protect our Great Country, as I always will do!” Trump said.
He added, “I am going to sign an Order instructing the Secretary of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, to immediately pay our TSA Agents in order to address this Emergency Situation, and to quickly stop the Democrat Chaos at the Airports. It is not an easy thing to do, but I am going to do it!”
The announcement comes as lawmakers face a looming deadline to fund the department, with negotiations between Republicans and Democrats still unresolved.
Meanwhile, TSA employees have now gone into a second month without pay, intensifying pressure on the system.
Under the National Emergency Act, the president has the authority to redirect unspent government funds to temporarily cover wages, allowing payments to go out without congressional approval.
Republicans currently hold a Senate majority but do not have the 60 votes required to advance funding legislation, leaving the process stalled.
Democrats have withheld support for weeks, pushing for stricter rules on immigration enforcement practices. In response, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Thursday he had presented his “final” offer, which would fund most of DHS while excluding certain ICE enforcement operations.
As the impasse drags on, TSA workers have increasingly called in sick in protest, contributing to long security lines and widespread delays at airports nationwide.
With spring break travel ramping up and major holidays like Easter and Passover approaching, the urgency to resolve the crisis is growing by the day.
